› added 4 months ago

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TIL in 2001 King Mswati III Imposed a ban on Sex with girls under 18. 2 months later he marries his 9th wife who was 17 and fined himself "1 Cow" for breaking the law. In 2005 he repeals the law so he can marry another girl who was aged 17 - then 3 months later he marries another 18 year old girl.

Read more news.bbc.co.uk

via reddit.com

4k6e6 TIL that in 1944, the US federal government slapped a heavy 30% tax on all food-serving venues (such as clubs) that featured dancing, leading to the downfall of swing music and dancing in America. It would not be repealed until the 1960s (though it was reduced a few years after implementation).
kkg7 TIL in 2001, the United States Court of Appeals upheld the right of Alice Randall to publish a parody of ‘Gone with the Wind’ called 'The Wind Done Gone’, which told the same story from the point of view of Scarlett O'Hara’s slaves, who were glad to be rid of her.
6EdNZ TIL the word Gymnasium comes from the Greek word Gymnazein which means to exercise naked.
J1aVv TIL about Elizabeth Bathory, the "Blood Countess" who is believed to have tortured and killed hundreds of young girls in 16th century Hungary. She bathed in their blood, hoping it would preserve her youth. She was caught, tried, and sentenced to life imprisonment for her gruesome crimes.
E1nRx TIL Cannabis is the only FDA schedule I drug where the overdose death rate stays consistently constant year after year at exactly zero.